Worcester gun buyback snags piece of history

WORCESTER 
The Guns for Goods program succeeded in getting more guns off the streets, but it also netted a piece of history.

“We got a very unusual vintage Japanese rifle from World War II with a bayonet,” said Dr. Michael P. Hirsh, chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery and Trauma at UMass Memorial Medical Center.

The program, which offered both gift certificates from Wegmans and free flu shots to people who anonymously turned in guns, netted 102 weapons in two days. Mr. Hirsh said 34 were collected yesterday to go with 68 collected Dec. 1. The collection yesterday was held at the office of the city Division of Public Health.

Most of the weapons will be destroyed, but the antique weapon may find a new home.

“We’re looking at contacting area museums to see if they are interested in adding to their collection,” Mr. Hirsh said.

The rifle is an Arisaka, a type made for the Japanese military between 1906 and 1945. It is named for Col. Nariakira Arisaka, who headed an 1890s commission in Japan to develop a new rifle. Mr. Hirsh said an interesting aspect of the rifle is the Arisakas were marked with the stamp of a chrysanthemum, the symbol of the Japanese emperor. The mark had been defaced, which may have been required before American soldiers could bring the weapons home after World War II ended.

The 102 weapons turned in during the recent program were predominantly from people who had them in their homes; many had lost a loved one who owned the gun and they did not want to care for it anymore. Mr. Hirsh said some also came from people who had children in their homes and did not feel comfortable with a gun in the house. Others said they had multiple weapons in their home and could not secure them all. Some people brought in a gun but also took trigger locks to secure other weapons remaining at home. There were also some who said they needed a flu shot and decided to bring in a gun.

Mr. Hirsh said even getting guns from people who legitimately own them may help reduce gun violence because many stolen weapons are used in felonies.

“I feel like we made a dent in the circulating of weapons out there,” he said.

Since 2002, the Goods for Guns program has collected 2,200 guns in exchange for gift certificates.